Ryan Gosling will finally bring some “Kenergy” to the Oscar stage.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that the “Barbie” co-star will join songwriter Mark Ronson to perform the film's hit “I'm Just Ken” at the 96th Academy Awards on March 10. will perform. Variety first reported the news on Monday.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell will also perform their “Barbie” ballad “What Was I Made For?” at the awards ceremony.
“I'm Just Ken” – an introspective '80s-style power rock ballad about what it's like to be a sidekick in a Barbie-dominated world, written and produced by Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – became the unofficial Anthem of the summer blockbuster. “I'm just Ken/Where I see love, she sees a friend/What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan and fight for me?” Gosling sings in the film.
It was nominated for Best Original Song, while Gosling's portrayal of the vacuous Ken earned him a Best Supporting Actor award. But in February, Gosling told Variety that the Academy had not asked him to perform the song, even though he would be open to it. This week's announcement clarifies that question.
Other scheduled performances include Jon Batiste performing “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”; Becky G performing “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin' Hot,” written by Diane Warren; and Scott George and the Osage Singers performing “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Ronson told The Washington Post in August that Gosling's rock singing and on-screen performance helped push “I'm Just Ken” into the mainstream. The 3-minute, 42-second song has more than 108 million streams on Spotify and briefly charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
Sharp. Funny. Pensive. Sign up for the Style Memo newsletter.
Gosling's upcoming appearance represents another celebratory moment for “Barbie,” which breathed new life into the box office and joined the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon as one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2023. The film, about Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Gosling) leaving Barbieland and dealing with the consequences of the real world, grossed more than $1.4 billion at the global box office.
Many awards season fans have been excited to see what statues “Barbie” would also assemble for his dollhouse. The film won awards for box office and box office at the Golden Globes in January, beating out “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” “Oppenheimer” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.” 3.” Eilish and O'Connell's song “What Was I Made For?” won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, beating out Dua Lipa's “I'm Just Ken” and “Dance the Night” – also a song from “Barbie”.
“Barbie” received several nominations at the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. The film also received a nomination for adapted screenplay, although Warner Bros. reportedly lobbied for the film to be considered an original screenplay.